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Illustrations from Photographs 




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NEW YORK 

PRESS OF H. C. BROWN 

t56 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK 



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•^N I ROBtSTttfOERDERER V- ^ ij/ 




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There was a boy in a London school many years ago 
who was pronounced "a discouraging- and incorrigible 
scholar," with no prospect of ever improving. His 
parents were advised to remove hini. as his time was 
but little better than wasted. When his father died he 
went to live with a friend of the family, and here again 
his fondness for attempting what was considered mischief- 
making experiments showed itself stronger than ever. 
His "work," as he called it, was conducted in the garret 
of the house in which he li\ed, much to the consternation 
and dismay of his friend, who was constantly alarmed b)- 
unexpected explosions. Mr. Tonkin, the gentleman 
with whom he lived, was discouraged. "Was there ever 
such a miserable boy?" he would exclaim. " W^as there 
ever so idle a dog? He will yet blow us all into 
the air." 

His experiments were put down as the diversions of 







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an idle fellow, and when he remarked that he was 
Investigatino' the astringent qualities of certain vegetables, 
with special reference to their operation in tanning, his 
statement was received with mingled feelings of contempt 
and disgust. To supply the place of an air-pump in one 
of his investigations he had nothing but an old, discarded 
injection syringe. W hen he explained that he needed 
it to ascertain the nature of air contained in the vesicles 
of sea-weed, it can readily be imagined that his friends 

shook their heads sadly 
and viewed his future 
with gloomy forebodings. 
Such was the boyhood 
of Sir Humphrey Davy, 
whose researches into the 
secrets of Nature reveal- 
ed new and surprising 
facts hitherto unsuspect- 
ed, on the nature and 
operation of astringent 
vegetables in tanning. 
He embodied the result 
of his labors in a paper, 
which he read before the 




Royal Society of London, and became at once one of 
the noted men of the day. Notwithstanding he had 
never seen a tannery, his theories proved of incalculable 
value, and his discoveries were such as to mark a 
distinct era in the evolution of this important industry. 

It may strike the casual reader that leather is a very 
commonplace subject to attract so great a mind, but the 
important part leather has played in the domestic 
economy of our race in its gradual development from 
barbarism to civilization, makes it entirely proper. There 
is probably no other article that has been with us so 
constantly as this product of man from the skins of the 
beasts of the field, which we know as leather. Nothing 
ever devised by the hand of man has contributed so much 
to our personal comfort and physical well being. And so 
it comes about that every invention that cheapens the 
cost of leather, that adds to its durability or widens its 
field of usefulness, contributes just so much more to 
the happiness of mankind. 

There is nothing like leather. The world without it 
would be a sorry place to live in — nay an impossible 



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place. Number- 
less attempts 
have been made 
to provide a sub- 
stitute "just as 
good," but all 
have ended in 
disastrous fail- 
ure. The secret 
ot its manufac- 
ture, if such sub- 
stitute there be, 
is still securely locked up in Nature's l)reast. 

The manufacture of leather has constantly, though slowly, 
improved. The quality of leather we now wear is much 
superior to that of our forefathers. Even the cowhide boots 
that are sold to the old Jed Proutys of Bucksport are vastly 
improved over the almost rigid "cast iron" cowhides of 
long ago. Your tanner moves slowly. He took seven 
years at one period to tan a hide ; but he always had the 
good fortune to have brains himself (ir to attract them from 



tng. 




the outside. And so he has gone on improving all the 
time. Besides Sir Humphrey Davy were Crossett, Seguin, 
and many others who distinguished themselves by their 
contributions to the tanner's knowledge, and now comes 
an American, Foerderer by name, who threatens to eclipse 
them all by the brilliancy of his attainments and the remark- 
able results achieved. Wliile Sir Humphrey's work was of 
inestimable value, it applied only to hides or sole leather, 
and while it improved very materially on the then existing 
conditions, it embodied no revolutionary change in the 



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method of tanning. Oak bark and hemlock constituted 
then, as they do now. the basis of all hide tanning. Up to 
Foerderer' s time sumach leaves were always used for tan- 
ning skins or upper leather. Foerderer' s discovery is of 
the greater originality and greater importance, insomuch 
as it does away entirely with the sumach leaf process, 
substituting the more certain and wider field of chemistry 
tor its fundamental basis. Herein is a radical departure. 
His process promises to supplant all other processes 
hitherto used in making^ Glazed Kid, and the brand which 



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he makes — " Mci Kid " (I conquered) tells in a word the 
story of another secret wrested by the scientific tanner 
from the dark recesses of nature ; and the high position un- 
hesitatingly awarded to his product in the markets of the 
world proclaims his invention to be the latest and best 
development of the tanner's work up to date. So rapid 
has been the growth of this tannery that, from a small be- 
ginning ten years ago, the establishment now^ covers nearly 
fourteen acres of ground and employs i, 600 persons. As 
this " Mci Kid " will probably be worn at some time or other 
by nearly every one of the sev^enty million inhabitants of 
this nation, a brief walk through the factory and a glance 
at the wonderful organization which has achieved this 
marvelous growth cannot fail to be of interest. 

So with your kind permission we shall inspect the various 
departments and trace the manufacture of" Vici Kid " from 
the time the eoat skin arrives till the moment it leaves the 
factory a finished product. We shall traverse eleven 
different buildinofs, some more than four hundred feet 
long; we shall see more than fourteen acres of ground 
covered completely with buildings filled with machinery of 
the latest improved pattern, all adapted to the special uses 
of this great factory, and designed largely by the founder 
for the sole purpose of producing " Vici Kid." In the well- 




ordered factory 
but little is left 
to sug'g'est the 
sleepless nights 
and the anxious 
days that pre- 
ceded the tri- 
umphant conclu- 
sion of Robert 
H. Foerderer's 
labors. Disap- 
pointments and 

delays are not now discernible in this smoothly-running 

plant, but they have been there just the same. 

The first place we enter is the warehouse and storehouse 

or receiving department. The great bales you see lying 

all around us bear curious marks in strange languages, 

and come from all quarters of the globe. Goat skins from 

Greece lie cheek by jowl with goat skins from Turkey ; 

India, Assyria. Egypt, Persia, Arabia, China, Mexico, Cape 

of Good Hope, Zanzibar, P>ance, Algiers, Tunis, Servia, 

Belgrade, Bosnia, Bulgaria, the Balkan Provinces, Thibet, 

South America, Afghanistan — all contribute their quota of 

goats to supply the enormous demand of forty thousand 

skins per day which are 

used in these great 

works. Think of it. 

P^orty thousand goat 

skins ! Why that 

would not only 

cover Harlem 

completely with 

goats, but the rest 

of M a n h a 1 1 a n 

Island as well ! 

From the warehou se 

the skins are sent to the 

soak tubs — immense tanks 

filled with water in which to 




soften them : some go into a sort of machine constructed 
somewhat on the principle of a wash board, where the 
constant manipulation of a huge corrugated arm rtMiders 
them soft and pliable. P>om the soak tubs the\' go to 
the lime \ ats, where the\' remain for a i)eriod ot two 
weeks. 

The action of the lime in the vats is the hrst act in the 
process of converting a goat skin into a piece ol glazed 
kid. All skins have a tendency to putrefaction and 
deca)'. The various methods which produce leather 
simi)l)' mean treating the skin in such a manner as to 
increase its strength and power to resist wear and tear, 
and render it proof against putrefaction. And according 
to the skill of the tanner and the perfection of his process, 
so is the cjualitv of his finished product. The skins are 
handled no less than 140 times. Without a doubt the 
Foerderer process has produced the finest glazed kid )'et 
put upon the market. Hut to resume. 

After coming from the lime vats they go to the unhair- 
ing dei)artnient. The effect of the lime has been to 

loosen the hair, and 
it becomes a com- 
paratively simple 
oj^eration t( > re- 
move it with a long 
doul)le-edged knife. 
The dull edge takes 
the hair oft^ and the 
s h a r |) e d g e re- 
moN'es the waste 
part, such as the 
shanks, neck, etc. 
This is not, proper- 
ly speaking, waste, 
as it is afterward 
converted into 
glue. Even the hair 
is not lost. Some 
of it u^oes to the 




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upholsterer and some to the jjlasterer, besides having- 
other uses to which it is put. 

Havine been unhaired and trimmed, the skin is then 
passed along to the Beamino- Department, where it is 
washed, fleshed, bated, pured and slated. These are all 
technical terms. Briefly stated, fleshing is passing the 
skin under the knife and removing all the minute particles 
of flesh that still remain, after the various operations it has 
received. The slating machine runs over the skin to 
take out any hairs which may have escaped the first 
operation. The other operations in this department are 
intended to put the skin into proper condition for the 
next process, which takes place in the d'anning I )epart- 
ment. Here they are submitted to the action of certain 
chemicals which accomplish in hours much more satis- 
factorily what had heretofore taken weeks to do. They 
here go through an operation termed striking out, by 
which the excess of water is forced from the skin. 

Some of this work is done by machiner\', but much is 
still handdabor. The skins are once more carefully 
trimmed and are then ready for the peculiar-shaped 
drumdike machine, which imparts to them a stain. The 
skin now for the first time takes on the color of the skin 
of commerce. From there it ooes to the Pleatinp- De- 



partment, where the skins are folded flesh to flesh 
They are then sent to the Coloring- Department and 
dyed as the)' are desired — black, russet, red, yellow, or 
any other color. 

At this point the skin once more goes under the knife. 
There is still just the faintest suggestion of thickness 
where the backbone was, and this must be reduced to 
conform to the rest of the skin. When this is accom- 
plished the goods go once more to the Coloring Depart- 
ment, where the proper color is applied. After coming- 
from this department the skins go to the Oiling I3epart- 
ment. Here they receive an application of oil and are 
then sent to the Drying Room. Each skin is hung on 
a separate pole for twenty-four hours in a room heated to 
120°. Then they go to the dry dock bins, to remain until 
wanted, and thence to the dampening boxes. Leaving- this 
room, they come to the Knee-staking Room — a peculiar 
process, the effect of which is to take the stretch out and 
loosen what flesh may still cling and make the skin thor- 
oughly pliable. This is rather an interesting room. The 
men work with one leg perfectly bare, pressing the knee 



Sancg 
Coloring 

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(fifing 



against the leather and bringing- it quickly clown the stake. 
The goat skin must not come in contact with a clothed leg, 
or very soon the friction would cause a bad scraping of 
the skin of the leg. After the knee-staking process the 
skins go to the Perching Room. Here they are caught 
in a long vise, as it were, and the operator puts the 
crutch ot a long circular knife against his armpit and 
presses hard against the tlesh side of the skin. Wliat- 
ever flesh now remains is speedily removed, and the skin 
leaves the Perching Department smooth on both sides. 

The next operation carries us to the Seasoning Room, 
where a liquid dressing, made exclusively by Foerderer 
and used only by him, is put on to close the pores and 
make the skin ready for polishing or glazing. This latter 
operation is performed by numberless machines, all 
moving with incredible swiftness. The skin is placed on 
a block, an arm comes out, having a piece of glass at the 
end, and traverses over the leather with licjhtnine-like 
rapidity. After the first polishing the skins go back to 
the Seasoning Room, and are again returned to the 
glazing machines. These operations are repeated several 



13 




t i m e^ s, e a c h 
operation add- 
inq- to the bril- 
liancy of the 
qlaze and the 
durabilitN' of 
the leather. 
\\^ hen the 
leather has fin- 
al h' reached 
that decree of 
perfection 
which is the 
standard of " Vici Kid," it is passed to the Sorting- Room, 
where it is measured and divided into various g-rades. 
The measuring machine is one of the most ingenious 
mechanical contrivances ever devised. It records almost 
instanth' and with marvelous accuracy the number of 
square tect and inches in each skin. It is more than 
human, in that it is intallible. 

The goods are now fairl\- in shape to be offered to the 
market. The)' ha\e been thoroughly inspected, accurately 
classified, and arc now arranged in the salesroom for the 
critical examination ot the buyers who come from all 
(juarters of tlie coimtr)- or, indeed, of the world. In 
addition to the salesroom in the factory building, there 
are also branch houses in New \'ork, Hoston, Chicago 
and .St. Louis; 
and agencies in 
London, Paris, 
b'rankfort-on- 
Main. Ciermany 
■And Australia, 
where stock is 
kept and where 
s a m pies o f 
e \' e r \- t h i n g 
made in tiie 
IMii 1 adeli)hia 




14 



factory can be seen at any time. In a few days " Vici 
Kid " will have found its final destiny in a pair of shoes 
ma)'hap worn by the reader of this article. 

It is impossible to convey in a short story like this an 
adequate idea of the real magnitude of this firm's busi- 
ness. Its ramifications extend to the uttermost parts of 
the earth. Enjoying the advantages of unlimited capital, 
with a knowledge of the raw material born ol experience, 
and having successfully created the newest and best 
process of tanning, it can 1)e readily understood that 
" Vid Kid " is rightly entitled to its position as the 
Standard A7c/ ot the world. "Trifles make perfection, 
but perfection is no trifie. " From the moment the goat 
skin leaves its native slope till the moment it is ready to 
be delivered to the shoe manufacturer, there is no detail, 
however trifling, left to chance. Every movement is pre- 
arranged. It is all part of one grandly conceived organ- 
ization, where ever)'thing is working in harmony with 
the general plan of the master mind over all. 

The photographs which accompan)' this sketch are all 
taken from life as the writer passed through the various 




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(Knee 
^fafitng. 



15 



• departments. It is always a matter of regret that photo- 
graphs never convey any idea of motion or sound. One 
cannot imagine the bustle, the activity, and the hum of 
machinery, which characterize the real factory in oper- 
ation. vStill they are of deep interest to the student of 
progress, no matter in what direction, for herein he can 
see the latest and best, in a business that has always 
attracted the best and brightest thinkers of the day, from 
Sir Humphrey Davy to Robert H. I'oerderer. And now 
we pass on to a consideration of the rare of shoes. 



j^- 



§j VICI LtATtI W 



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his experience in tanning 



Mr. Foerderer's re- 
searches did not end with 
his discovery of a new pro- 
cess of tanning. He carried 
his investigations further. 
Having succeeded in pro- 
ducing a leather that was 
better, cheaper, more dur- 
able, and finer in appearance 
than any other leather ever 
made, he next turned his 
attention to a product that 
will not only preserve ///a/ 
leather, but leather of cruy 
kind af;er it has l)ecn made 
into shoes. Realizing trom 
that more harm is done to 



i6 



shoes by want of care than by actual wear, he set out to 
devise some method whereby the life of a shoe could be 
revived from time to time, and its career of usefulness 
extended. 

It was quite natural that a man who had achieved such 
remarkable results from his laboratory on a previous 
occasion should turn again to that same mysterious room 
for means to accomplish another. 

The result of his many experiments has been the final 
success of Vici Leather Dressing and Vici Leather Polish. 
The former is a leather dressing which does more than 
polish the shoe. It is in reality a food for leather. Its 
ingredients impregnate the leather with fatty oils and 
other essentials necessary to its welfare. Without these, 




ming t^i 



it in time loses its pliability, the pores open, and the 
parched leather cracks. Vici Leather Dressing neutralizes 
the effect of perspiration, which is one of the most deadly 
foes a shoe has to contend wdth. The Vici Leather 
Polish is a preparation which imparts a brilliant, even, and 
durable gloss, which it is not possible to obtain with any 
other preparation. 

It may probably astonish many women to learn, as they 
will here for the first time, that they have the means at 
their own command to reduce their shoe bills very 
materially. Like all other things, a shoe has its day, and 
whether that day is long or short depends not on zuea?^, 
but on care. In a household where there are children, it 
is not necessary to dwell on the importance of this matter ; 



17 




there is scarcely 
a woman in thr 
land who has not 
telt utterly dis- 
courai^'ed at times 
o\er h e r shoe 
hills. Mending- 
postpones the 
da\' ot eN'il tor a 
time, but it does 
not s o 1 \' e the 
problem, since 
mending" can't go 
on forex'er. This 
matter of the care 
of shoes is some- 
thing that has 
heretofore re- 
ceived but scant 
attention. To start right, the hrst thing is to see that 
your shoes are made of " \'ici Kid." Many ot the lead- 
ing manufacturers now stamp on the sole ot their shoes 
" Made from ' \'ici ' Kid." Don't take any name that 
sounds like \'ici, which 
is not spelled " \'-i-c-i." 
Then, having got the 
risj-ht shoes, get the 
rieht dressim^" — J i c i 
Lcatlicr Drcssiuo — 
with Horse Shoe trade- 
mark. 

H a V i n g purchased 
the right shoes and 
the right dressing the 
following rules as to 
their proper care will 
l)e found of exceeding 
\ alue : 




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Rule 
One. 



♦ ♦ ♦ RULES ♦ ♦ ♦ 

In usinor the Vici Dressing it is wise to wipe the shoe 
carefully, removing dust or mud with a dry brush, then 
wipe the shoe with a damp cloth or sponge — and apply 
the liquid dressing. Let this dressing remain for a few 
moments to dry before applying the polish ; after the shoe 
is completely covered with the polish rub it gentl)' with a 
soft rag until it shines. Canton flannel is the best polisher. 

Before placing the shoes awa)^ for a season, rub them with 
a damp rag or sponge, till all blacking or dressing has been 
removed, then give them a coat of Vici Dressing, and 
when you need them again they will be as fresh and 
soft as when you bought them. 

Rub your shoes well with a damp sponge at least once 
a week to remove the old dressing. The application of 
any dressing is apt to crack the leather after several coats 
have been applied. By wiping with a damp cloth or 
sponge this cracking is prevented and the leather freed 
from the dust, which comes from the dr)' polish. 



^) . 



With a little regard to the following '^Donts'' we 
know you will find your shoe bills very much reduced. 

DON'T place your shoes against the heater after coming 
in from the rain. 

DON'T fail to wipe them at least once a week with a 
soft rag. 

DON'T put them in a closet where there is not free 
circulation of air. 

DON'T leave them where they can get soaked or burnt. 

DON'T leave a shoe wet with perspiration where it has 
no chance to dry. Perspiration is bad for the 
leather. 

DON'T put away shoes in a dirty condition ; wipe them, 
dress them, and store them in an airy closet. 

DON'T be afraid to give as much care to your shoes as 
to your wheel. 

DON'T fail to have a change. Two pairs of shoes worn 
alternately, will outwear three pairs worn con- 
secutively. 

DON'T forget to wear Vici Kid shoes and keep them 
clean with Vici Dressing — and last but not least — 

DON'T for or f to look for tJic Horse Shoe trademark 
when buying Leather, Shoes or Dressing ! 





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